Provisional Customs Clearance for Goods Requiring Urgent Release

Under provisional customs clearance, goods may be released before all required documentation has been submitted. This allows the importer to take delivery of the goods before the customs clearance process has been fully completed.

You may apply to the Director of Customs for provisional customs clearance if you:

• need urgent release of the goods but do not yet have all the documents required to complete customs clearance; or

• can demonstrate that the documents required for customs clearance have not been received or are incomplete.

Conditions for Provisional Customs Clearance

All of the following conditions must be met:

• Consignment number
  Information about the consignment number, or the part of the number that is known, must be available. For air freight shipments, the air waybill number must also be provided.

• Declared value
  The value of the goods must be stated on the commercial invoice or otherwise demonstrated in a satisfactory manner.

• Type and quantity of goods
  Clear information must be provided regarding the nature of the goods and the quantity being imported.

• Import authorisations
  Any approvals required from the competent authorities for the importation of specific categories of goods must be obtained in advance. This includes, for example, live animals, medicinal products and other goods subject to import licensing requirements. See further information on import restrictions.

Payment and security

To use provisional customs clearance, you must provide security for any duties and taxes that may become payable.

The security amount is calculated as the estimated import charges plus 25%, but may never be less than ISK 7,500.

Deadline for final customs clearance

The deadline for completing final customs clearance is generally no later than 20 days after the goods arrive in Iceland. The deadline may be extended at the request of the importer where special circumstances apply.

Once the deadline has passed, the import charges become due and payable, and default interest begins to accrue.

If final customs clearance has not been completed within 30 days of the release of the goods, the Director of Customs may require the carrier to pay all outstanding duties, taxes and interest.